First Command Financial Services, Inc Receives CGMA Values Award

Arlington, VA – Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, the official aid society of the United States Coast Guard, has presented First Command Financial Services, Inc. with the 2023 CGMA Values Award in recognition of their support of CGMA and the Coast Guard community.

The CGMA Values Award recognizes an organization that significantly promotes CGMA’s mission of supporting the financial resilience of the Coast Guard community and reflects the highest values of Helping Our Own. CGMA presented the award during its annual meeting on April 6.

First Command has a long tradition of supporting the Coast Guard community and CGMA. At the height of the Government Shutdown in 2018, First Command was quick to rally around the Coast Guard community offering to provide Coast Guard Mutual Assistance with a $5 million unsecured, interest-free loan to deliver financial relief to Coast Guardsmen and their families experiencing financial stress due to the shutdown.

After several years as a key sponsor of the CGMA Invitational Tournament, the premier golf event for members of the Coast Guard community, the two organizations recognized there was an opportunity for an even stronger partnership.

In 2021, First Command and CGMA joined forces to expand CGMA’s annual Coast Guard Day campaign. First Command’s generous annual $25,000 matching gift and additional in-kind support has helped to raise awareness of CGMA’s work and mission across communities nationwide. The campaign has raised over $207,000 in support of CGMA’s mission and programs since the launch of the partnership in 2021.

In 2022, First Command launched an affinity partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA), providing the non-profit organization with monetary support and access to timely information and insights aimed at serving the unique financial needs of America’s career military.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to recognize such a committed partner to our mission of supporting the financial resilience of the Coast Guard community,” said RADM (Ret) Cari B. Thomas, CGMA CEO. “First Command’s enthusiastic and engaging advocacy, and generous support of CGMA have made a life-changing difference in the lives of thousands of Coast Guard men and women, and their families.”

“On behalf of the entire First Command family, I am humbled to accept such meaningful recognition for the work that has been done by two incredible teams – First Command and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance,” said First Command President/CEO Mark Steffe. “This is a long-term partnership, and we look forward to continuing our work as part of the Coast Guard’s support network. Nothing is more important to us than serving those who serve and their families, and we are committed to continuing to help the women and men of the world’s greatest Coast Guard.”

About Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA) is a 501(c)(3), headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Serving as the official aid society for the United States Coast Guard, CGMA’s mission is to enable financial resiliency within the Coast Guard Community. Each of CGMA’s grant and interest-free loan programs are purposefully designed to ensure that short term financial challenges do not become chronic financial problems. In 2022, CGMA fulfilled more than 5,400 requests for financial help and provided over $6.7 million in support — an average of $1,230 per request. Since its inception in 1924, CGMA has provided over $223 million in direct assistance. Its work is performed by collateral duty Coast Guardsmen at 168 local Coast Guard units.

About First Command

First Command Financial Services and its subsidiaries, including First Command Brokerage Services, First Command Advisory Services, and First Command Bank, coach our Nation’s military families in their pursuit of financial security. Since 1958, First Command Financial Advisors have been shaping positive financial behaviors through face-to-face coaching with hundreds of thousands of client families.